Top 5 Tuesday: The Best Player in the 2009 NBA Draft

Making a return this week is a modified Top 5 Tuesday, of course having to do with Thursday's NBA Draft. Today, I present my case for the player I feel will be the best in the 2009 NBA Draft.

The Bobcats are currently slotted to select 12th in the first round. For two months, I've been operating off the assumption that the 'Cats would not move up in the lottery (they didn't) and would be choosing 12th. I was hoping that maybe my guy would have bad workouts or pull a muscle or something so he would fall to 12th (where no doubt the Fightin' Bob Johnsons would pass him over for a midget), but it has not happened. The guy I love? The guy I wish Charlotte could select? Tyreke Evans, the freshman guard from Memphis. Why? I'm so glad you asked. The five reasons:

1) He is not a point guard. A shooting guard with handle? Yes. A shooting guard that really can't shoot right now? Yes again. But NOT a point guard. So, don't compare him to other point guards in this draft or currently in the league. To me, he can play either guard spot, which should be viewed as a good thing. Ultimately, though, I see him as a 2-guard and a darn good one. Why is this so important? Because it will enable him to score the basketball, get to the line, and distribute when he can, as opposed to trying to run a team.

2) He is not a problem child. He had a bit of a reputation in high school. Not OJ Mayo, not Lance Stephenson...but supposedly selfish. I didn't see that at Memphis this year. What I did see though was a kid who slid into the point guard spot ten games into the season and led his team, as a freshman, to 26 straight victories. Scoring the ball, dishing the ball, pressuring the ball - Tyreke had it covered. Not only does that reputation seem to be dispelled, Evans actually appears to be a good teammate who makes the guys around him better.

3) He is solidly built and ready to play. He does, however, need to invest in either a draw string or some better drawers. You don't have to wait on the strength needed to play in the league with Evans, as he's already strong and ready for the 82-game grind. So many young players in the draft in recent years have not been physically ready to play; skills for sure, but not the body. Evans is not one of those players. For a guy who predicates his game on being able to go to the hoop (at this point, his best offensive strategy since he can't hit the outside shot consistently), he should be able to finish at the rim and absorb contact with ease.

4) Evans can play the all-around game. Defensively, I see Tyreke able to stay in front of point guards and be physical with them. He's also quick enough to bother a shooting guard. He plays the passing lanes pretty well and will be a terror on the fast break once he steals the ball. I don't see him becoming a lockdown type of defender, but instead an athletic thief like the guy whose game he resembles. That guy...

5) is Dwayne Wade - a scorer who excels with the ball in his hands, yet can also set teammates up. I like to just refer to that as a "creator" and not worry about what position he starts the game at. I've also seen the Larry Hughes comparison, as well as Jamal Crawford. And yeah, I can see both of those, too. But Evans' ceiling is D-Wade. I'm serious. Following his freshman year of college at Marquette, Wade's game was probably quite similar to Evans' game. No, Wade did not run the point position for his team (they had Travis Diener), but he did spend a lot of time with the ball in his hands to create. Flash also had no jump shot to speak of, which remained the knock on him all the way through the 2003 NBA Draft. In fact, critics point to that as his "weakness" today. And what a weakness it is: Wade only scored 30.2 points/game this year, leading the league. In today's NBA, with the hand-check rules in place, a premium is placed on guys who are quick and have a good handle for their position. Not just point guards, but any player who is able to attack the rim against slower defenders. Evans will be just that type of player, as is Dwayne Wade. Either way, if Evans does not reach to D-Wade heights (again, let me stress this: his CEILING, the absolute best he can be, is Wade), I still think he's a starter in this league and a multiple-time All-Star.

What is your feedback? Who is the best player in this draft? You don't have to leave five reasons why, a few will do. But let's hear it - who do YOU like and what do you think of Evans?

As of today, it would take a ridiculous happening for the Bobcats to get a hold of my homie Tyreke at #12. He will not last past New York at #8 and probably goes before that. So, what position does that leave the Bobcats in? Tomorrow, we'll take a look at just that.

In the meantime, figure out what dance you'd do in the circle.